ABOUT
During the pandemic, health and safety emerged as the number one concern of travellers. Prince Edward Island operators have been global leaders in minimizing disruption and mitigating pandemic risk for visitors. This situation has led to a unique opportunity to promote our excellent health and safety management and capitalize on all the hard work.
Prince Edward Island is going the extra mile. TIAPEI and Tourism PEI have invested in a health and safety certification program for operators – Safe Haven. The program is powered by EarthCheck, a world leader in scientific benchmarking, certification, and advisory group for travel and tourism. PEI’s extended version will utilize the EarthCheck online service platform and includes even more rigour than the globally recognized standard program.
Safe Haven is a Prince Edward Island health & safety certification that gives a visitor peace of mind that the operator has met rigorous health and safety standards to ensure their safety and will be promoted accordingly. If you’re in the tourism business, you’ll want to be a part of the Safe Haven program. IT’S FREE.
THE SAFE HAVEN DESIGNATION GIVES ALL VISITORS THE ASSURANCE THEY NEED TO ENJOY THEIR EXPERIENCE.
THE MODEL
TIAPEI and Tourism PEI have invested in EarthSafe, from EarthCheck. Australian-based EarthCheck is a leading scientific benchmarking, certification, and advisory group for travel and tourism.
PEI’s extended version will utilize the EarthCheck online service platform and include even more rigour than the globally recognized standard program.
The ‘Made in PEI’ certified health and safety service incorporates:
- PEI legislative and health requirements;
- An online assessment;
- Training;
- And standard operating procedures and hygiene action plans specific to Prince Edward Island tourism and hospitality.
The program’s certification/seal of approval is a readily identifiable signature that confirms that the location that bears it is a worry-free destination for visitors.
Frequently Asked Questions
Prince Edward Island aims to be the first province in Canada to have a provincial cleanliness and safety program for all tourism businesses. To become the best practice in this area, we need your participation.
Research shows that visitors are concerned about cleanliness and their safety. This is a factor when deciding a vacation destination.
General Questions
How much do I have to pay to enroll in the Safe Haven Program?
- There is no cost to participate in the Safe Haven Program.
- Safe Haven is free.
What exactly is Safe Haven?
- Safe Haven is a Prince Edward Island health & safety certification that gives a visitor peace of mind that the operator has met rigorous health and safety standards to ensure their safety.
- It is a branded cleanliness and safety program that helps give visitors, Islanders, operators and staff peace of mind.
- The program lets the public know that we are doing to make sure PEI is a clean and safe destination.
- Safe Haven certified properties have had an onsite audit to ensure program standards are being met.
Do I have to participate in Safe Haven as part of any regulatory requirement?
- No. Safe Haven is a completely voluntary/optional program.
How long will the online component take?
- The online assessment work will vary between 1/12 to 3 hours, depending on your level of technology skill and the size of your nosiness and the number of services your business offers.
- If you need tech support to help you in the process, please email safehaven@tiapei.pe.ca.
- If it is technical work arounds and supporting you in your online assessment we will respond within 24 hours in case we are on the road.
- If it a backend fix that is required it may take 48 hours to correct.
Marketing Benefits
What marketing materials will I receive for becoming certified?
You will receive an access code to the members only page which will give you access to the following:
- Access to the logo to be used on your web site as well as he brand guidelines.
- Access to social media messaging etc. for digital marketing.
- Access to various posters which can be used on your property (hand washing, disinfectant messaging etc.).
- You will benefit from on and off Island marketing promoting the Safe Haven Program.
- You will receive decals and print information to be displayed at your business.
- Safe Haven will be profiled at Visitor Information Centres across PEI.
- New visitor research pertaining to health and cleanliness as it becomes available.
Is there someone that can help me with this program?
- Yes, we have a dedicated relationships manager who can help you with the program or answer any other questions not found in this FAQ.
- For help email safehaven@tiapei.pe.ca.
What kind of tourism businesses can Safe Haven be applied to?
- Any type of tourism-related operation – all types of fixed roof accommodations, campgrounds, restaurants, golf courses, retail stores, PEI Authentic Experiences, festivals, attractions, museums etc.
What exactly do I have to do to acquire certification?
- There are two main steps to acquire certification. The first is to login to the online portion of the program and complete the self-assessment. The second will be an onsite audit to confirm the information in the self-assessment is accurate and that the tourism business meets the Safe Haven standard.
Tell me more about these two steps. What does the online portion look like?
- The self-assessment serves as a way for operators to confirm how their business meets the best practices/standards for cleanliness in their respective field. As well as helps an operator develop the various mandatory documents required to be submitted by an operator for the program.
- There are 7 steps that make up the online self-assessment.
- Services Offered – This is where an operator will select what services their business provides, e.g. accommodations, retail, attraction etc. Services selected here will populate the questions in the next step.
- Key Hygienic Areas of Services Offered – This is where the operator will answer YES/NO questions about their type of business /services offered as they pertain to the Safe Haven standard.
- Standard Operating Procedures – This section helps operators develop standard operating procedures for various health and hygiene categories.
- Policy & Compliance – This section helps operators develop a health and hygiene policy for their business as well as identify legislation they currently follow, such as the Tourism Industry Act and Regulations for accommodations and the Public Health Act for restaurants.
- Resources – Operators will utilize various resources, tools, and equipment that their staff must have access to in order to meet the standards listed previously, such as disinfectant, masks, and hand sanitizeretc.
- Training & Program Evaluation – This section identifies the training needs for staff, communication information for customers/guests, and program evaluation to ensure continuous improvement.
- Authorization – Sign off from owner/senior management.
And the audit?
- A Safe Haven auditor will work with you to schedule a day and time to meet to ensure the above standards are met.
- Once complete, you will be certified and be able to promote the Safe Haven brand on your property as well as in your online marketing.
You mentioned mandatory documents, what are they?
- Standard Operating Procedures for Hand Hygiene, Sanitation & Disinfection, Illness & Infection, as well as various emergency/pandemic measures.
- Health & Hygiene Policy
- Legislative Register, for example, stating the the Tourism Industry Act and Regulations for accommodations and the Public Health Act and Regulations for restaurants.
Sign Up
How do I sign up for the program?
- Simply click the “Start Certification Now” link on the previous page. You will also be directed to sign up if you click here.
I signed up for the program, now what?
- You should have immediately received information via email explaining next steps and where to log in. If you haven’t, check junk mail folders or contact safehaven@tiapei.pe.ca
Certification
How long does certification last?
- One year from the date of certification.
What will I need to do to renew certification?
- A program review of any changes that have occurred to the business in terms of policy and operation.
- An audit will be scheduled that will focus on changes made and ensuring that the Safe Haven standards are being maintained.
Online Portion of the Program – Self-Assessment
Where do I go to sign in?
- https://my.earthcheck.org/session/loginpei – information on this would also have been sent in the automated email after sign up.
The services offered by my business are not listed in Step 1, what do I do?
- Please contact safehaven@tiapei.pe.ca – this program will be updated periodically and we want to ensure that all tourism-related services are included.
Why did the questions in Step 3 change from YES/NO to checkboxes?
- This section is to help an operator develop standard operating procedures.
- Clicking these checkboxes will add these into a word document.
- Clicking “Generate Document for Standard Operating Procedures” under the Program Tab will download a word document with all of the items from these checkboxes.
- You can then edit and fine tune the document if needed to better reflect your organization.
Can I upload my own Standard Operating Procedures and Policies or do I have to use the templates provided?
- You can upload your own. They will be cross referenced to make sure they meet the Safe Haven standard.
I’m having trouble attaching the mandatory documents, is there another way?
- Yes, you can email them to safehaven@tiapei.pe.ca – be sure to include what business you are part of.
I completed the online self-assessment but it won’t let me finalize it by hitting submit, why not?
- You must attain at least 90% or greater in each step, once this threshold is achieved you will be able to submit your self-assessment.
Audit Portion
I haven’t heard back after submitting my online assessment, what do I do?
- Once you complete and submit the online assessment component meeting the programs requirements then you will receive an email with a Notice of Consent document.
- This document provides a section where you list your audit date preferences.
- The majority of the time, this issue is caused because this document has not been sent in by the operator.
- We may reach out to you offering support if we see you are close to completing the online component and/or work with you to book an audit.
Differences
What are the differences between the Safe Haven Program requirements and the regulatory requirements under the Public Health Act’s Food Premise Regulations?
The differences are as follows:
- The timeframes for cleaning and sanitizing frequency are spelled out in Safe Haven whereas they are not included in the Food Premise Regulations
- Cleaning of floors daily
- Cleaning and disinfection of kitchen areas and equipment sanitized between meal preps and at least once a day
- Sanitizing of high touch surfaces every 4 hours
- Sanitizing areas include all high touch areas outside the kitchen for public and staff spaces
- The only paperwork needed for Food Premise Regulations is a sanitation plan and logging of dishwasher/sanitizer dispenser concentrations/temperatures.
- Safe Haven requires:
- Standard Operating Procedures (7 of them)
- Health and Hygiene Policy
- Registration of all Legislation that applies to the business (e.g. Public Health Act, Liquor Control Act, Tourism Industry Act).
- Training Materials including complaint/follow up records
- MSDS sheets for chemicals
- Online self-assessment as well as yearly policy review of documents and procedures required for Safe Haven.
- Contactless payment options, laminated menus/or single use for Safe Haven.
- Hand sanitizer availability is required for customers under Safe Haven.
- Some other specific food safety best practices are directly mentioned in Safe Haven that are not mentioned in the Food Premise Regulations (washing fruits/vegetables, inspection of staff to ensure proper uniform, hair control, no jewelry, etc).
The differences between the Tourism Industry Act’s requirements for fixed roof accommodations and camping and Safe Haven’s requirements are very similar, focusing on disinfecting of high touch areas and procedures, policies and training around health and hygiene.
More Information
If you have any questions on the program or require more information, please contact the Relationship Manager at safehaven@tiapei.pe.ca